The petrochemical resources within the earth are being rapidly depleted in order to supply fuel for use by man in industry, transportation, and home heating and lighting. There has been an increased awareness of mankind's energy dependence and of the need to conserve and extend present energy resources. Problems of how to develop and utilize alternatives to the energy sources in use at present now exist. Several possible solutions are provided by nuclear, solar, wind and geothermal energy technologies. Solar and wind devices are typically not fuel producing. Fissile nuclear fuels, while still in adequate supply, are of finite quantity. The most urgent problem appears to be how can an alternate fuel, useable by present technology devices, which is durable and portable and which may also serve as a feedstock in the production of chemicals, be produced?
Hydrogen may be such a fuel. It may be utilized not only as a fuel but as a primary energy carrier or as a feedstock. The immediate problem with hydrogen is that there has been no practical economical manner of producing hydrogen in sufficient quantities to satisy human needs.